OK Car Of The Year judges – start polishing the trophies and engraving the words ‘Mercedes-Benz’ – all you have to decide is A-Class (hatchback) or CLA (sedan). Hot on the heels of the stunning A-Class hatchback range, we’ve just driven the sedan version – the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class in both regular CLA 200 and the awesome all-wheel-drive CLA 45 AMG.
And yep, it’s another maximum five point ranking from CarShowroom.com,au
The superlatives keep rolling on – the Mercedes-Benz CLA is the world’s most aerodynamic production vehicle (cD 0.23) and under the bonnet of the CLA 45 AMG is the world’s most powerful series production turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. And Mercedes-Benz being Mercedes-Benz there’s technology overload – for starters the CLA is equipped with nine, yes nine, airbags.
Remarkably ‘Benz has the CLA 200 priced from just $49,900. The upscale and more powerful CLA 250 Sport is priced at $63,400 while the stunning CLA 45 AMG will set you back $86,900 (unquestionably, bang for your buck the best high-performance compact sedan on the market).
Mercedes-Benz CLA Overview
The CLA sails into unchartered waters for Mercedes-Benz – the premium compact sedan market which the experts say in the next ‘big thing’ for our industry. Not only in Europe, but in emerging markets, small sedans are where it’s at.
The CLA is the sedan version of the brilliant all-new A-Class and is sourced from the Mercedes plant in Hungary.
Globally there is massive demand for the CLA and Mercedes-Benz Australia not only has considerable orders awaiting delivery, the factory can only spare 200 cars per month until mid next year.
Mercedes-Benz CLA Engine
Again mirroring the A-Class hatchback, Mercedes-Benz has launched the CLA with a choice of three turbocharged four-cylinder petrol powerplants.
Entry level CLA 200 employs the 1.6-litre version with 115kW/250Nm.
Next-up, the cracking CLA 250 Sport is powered by a 2.0-litre engine with 155kW/350Nm.
For the remarkable CLA 45 AMG, propulsion comes from that stunning 2.0-litre engine with 265kW/450Nm and driving all four wheels via Mercedes’ 4MATIC system (front-wheel-drive under normal driving conditions).
The CLA 200 and 250 Sport use the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission while the CLA 45 AMG employs the AMG Speedshift version.
‘Benz hasn’t finalized the fuel consumption for the 250 Sport, but the combined cycle number for the CLA 200 is 5.7l/100kms and 7.0l/100kms for the CLA 45 AMG.
Mercedes-Benz CLA The Interior
Inside, the CLA - like the A-Class hatchback lineup - is Mercedes-Benz at its best. There’s the hallmark steering wheels (sporty alcantara grips on the CLA 45 AMG), crisp instrumentation, superb sports seats (ARTICO in the CLA 200, ‘red cut’ leather in the 250 Sport and AMG versions, also in ‘red cut’ leather, for the CLA 45 AMG), Becker Map Pilot navigation for 200 and 250, ‘Command APS' navigation for the CLA 45 AMG.
Some have criticized the central 14.7cm TFT screen for the navigation and six-speaker audio saying its sits too proud on the center dashboard. We’re going the other way – we like its prominent position for easy viewing of navigation maps and the reversing camera image.
‘Silver wave’ trim highlights look modern and sporty in the 200 while the 250 Sport adds aluminium trim, red seat belts, a flat-bottom sport steering wheel, stainless steel sports pedals and red seat belts. Of course the CLA 45 AMG gets the full AMG treatment including instruments, Harman Chardon audio and that superb sports steering wheel.
And even though the A-Class and CLA-Class are the entry-level Mercedes models, there’s still the usual ‘Benz technology wherever you look – like the stalk-mounted gear lever and door-mounted electronic seat adjustment controls.
As part of its massive arsenal of extras, the CLA 45 AMG gains a massive panoramic glass roof.
Rear doors open wide for easy access to the back seat which is a little tight on headroom for tall folk.
Car Showroom drove the Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 ‘Edition 1’ model (only available for 12 months) which includes a ‘Neon Art’ interior (yellow contrast stitching for the seats and dashboard).
Mercedes-Benz CLA Exterior & Styling
The CLA goes far beyond an A-Class with a boot – in fact the powerful and dynamic shape has overtones of the magnificent CLS and is a true four-door coupe, albeit in compact form. At 4630mm in overall length, the CLA is 338mm longer than the A-Class and is actually 39mm longer than the larger Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan.
At the front there’s the latest version of the Mercedes-Benz grille, powerful lines for the bonnet and those distinctive headlights with in-built LED DRLs designed with a ‘flare effect’. The side sees three prominent sculpture lines which give a purposeful/sporty look.
And the rear-end is simply stunning with lots of curves and shapes to promote width and athleticism. And the way the sloping roofline interplays with the narrow C-pillars and broad wheelarches is magnificent.
CLA 200 and 250 Sport both ride on 18-inch alloy wheels (AMG versions for the latter) while the CLA 45 AMG scores superb 19-inch AMG alloys.
Mercedes-Benz CLA On The Road
We spent a day covering the familiar roads of Melbourne’s Yarra Valley in both CLA 200 and CLA 45 AMG variants. The CLA runs the McPherson strut/multilink rear suspension but is unique with a flexible decoupling of the rear axle carrier – for improved ride comfort.
And of course the AMG version scores its own sports suspension and driver-select drive modes which tighten things noticeably in ‘S’ mode.
‘Benz has predictably rolled-out some superb engines ahead of the introduction of the Euro 6 regulations. Even the 115kW 1.6-litre in the CLA 200 is a pearler with abundant acceleration across the range and a sporty exhaust note.
But the 265kW 2.0-litre in the CLA 45 AMG is a weapon – as proved in a rapid run over the famed ‘Black Spur’ with the all-paw traction assisting in tricky conditions courtesy of overnight rain and high winds. Bring your best HSV anything and it will not be better over those roads in those conditions than the CLA 45 AMG – it’s as simple as that.
With hallmark ‘Benz precision, brilliant damping it’s just impossible to fault the CLA in either the city environment or on the open road. Maybe there’s a little tyre roar on coarse chip bitumen but remember this is a remarkably quite car thanks to the usual ‘Benz noise isolation and that slippery body shape which alleviates any wind noise.
Mercedes-Benz CLA Challenges
Rear seat headroom isn’t massive.
Mercedes-Benz CLA Verdict
This the best compact sedan we’ve driven. No doubt about it.
Add the CLA’s hatchback sibling - the A-Class - and Mercedes has absolutely locked-in ‘Car Of The Year’ status with these remarkable additions to the lineup.
And that $49,900 starting price for the CLA 200 is astonishing.
As for the CLA 45 AMG – as we said when we first drove the A 45 AMG – dollar-for-dollar, spec-for-spec we will not drive a better car this year.
So it’s a coin-toss: hatchback (A-Class) or sedan (CLA).
Mercedes-Benz CLA The Competition
While the Mercedes-Benz A-Class goes head-to-head with hatchback rivals from Audi and BMW, currently direct competition for the CLA sedan is conspicuously lacking.
Even Volvo’s S60 sedan ($49,490 to $109,950) is closer in size to the C-Class than CLA.
But of course nothing stands still in this business and the European spy magazines have compact sedans on the way from the Germans and even Jaguar so the CLA might not have things on its own for too long.
Thumbs-up: Brilliant looks; brilliant drive; very sharp prices
Thumbs-down: Tight rear seat headroom
